The events of 2020 have made us all reflect on what we stand for, where we are and the sort of influence we have on the planet – socially, economically and environmentally. We all appreciate the seriousness of the impact of greenhouse gas emission and the contribution of our own individual carbon footprints to this parlous global landscape.
In foodservice, this is something the membership has been grappling with for many years. Indeed, FCSI was at the forefront of innovation in this area more than a decade ago, and we want to take a further step forward next year by producing a comprehensive report into the carbon footprint of the FCSI EAME Conference in Paris in June 2021.
Building on the legacy of Clara Ming Pi FFCSI and her pioneering work ahead of the 2008 FCSI Conference in Beijing, China, and beyond, we plan to deliver both a carbon neutral event, but also one that acts as a line in the sand for future gatherings across the FCSI community.
We want to take the data we capture very seriously and for our findings to have genuine use to organizers, delegates and the wider membership.
Tracking and accounting
As part of the project, led by FCSI EAME’s Allied representative Mick Jary of Meiko, we’ll need your help. We will be asking each delegate and sponsor about their travel and accommodation plans for the conference. The more information that can be captured, the greater accuracy we can provide in the final report.
We’ll also be working closely with the Hyatt Regency Chantilly to ensure that we are tracking and accounting for all of the outputs associated with running an event of the scope and size of the EAME conference and making optimizations where possible. Hyatt have an established commitment to monitoring their output.
At the conclusion of our work, and in conjunction with the conference, I will deliver the report’s key findings during the event and would be delighted if you would join me to offer your thoughts on how we can make an impact and to help choose our offsetting method.
We’d also appreciate a commitment from sponsors to support our endeavor. There will be a discussion at the end of my presentation about key ideas and to draw a blueprint for the future.
Of course, some uncertainty around Covid-19 remains and while predictions around a vaccination are positive, we want to ensure that those wanting to attend remotely can do so. The legacy of this project, we hope, will go beyond a single report. We’d love to develop fresh attitudes towards sustainability and find ways of building new partnerships and collaborations.
There’s much work to be done between now and June 2021, but I look forward to speaking to as many members as possible in the next few months and then in person at the FCSI EAME Conference next summer.
Cameron Sharpe, head of insight, Progressive Content
Further details:
To read the rest of FCSI’s Q4 2020 Sustainability print supplement, please click here.
